A Collaboration
Grace,
Mercy, and Peace to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus
the Christ: AMEN!
“What’s on your mind?” It sounds
like a fairly simple question doesn’t it? It is not an easy question. It is not
easy, because it depends on what time of day you are asking it, what kind of
mood the person is that you are asking, and a whole slew of other things can go
into that answer.
I am taking that question from a
very well-known source that does intend the question to be easy, but is also
using it for marketing purposes. “What’s on your mind?” is the question that
pops up every time you log onto Facebook. Sometimes I really feel like writing
“what IS on my mind; AND I DO! Sometimes it may be a joke that I find funny,
something, ironic, or something that is going on in the world that I am not too
happy with. No matter what you post, I can guarantee you that one of your
“friends” will find it objectionable or want to start a debate about
it…especially if it does not fit their opinion. Full disclosure – sometimes I
get caught up in responding to other people in the same manner.
This past week someone posted a
picture of a homeless man sitting on a bench. The gist of the picture was
“shouldn’t a veteran be housed instead of giving refugees priority.” Now, I am
not getting into the whole political debate over this.
The point is that this is the second
part of the beatitudes. Last week, we heard the blessings that Jesus declares
for the hungry, the poor in spirit, the merciful, the persecuted, and the
peacemakers. We heard these words last week. They are words to lift up all of
God’s children. Jesus words last week to give hope and promise to those who
have been beaten down by the garbage that living in the broken world
experience. The words of Blessings are not to be taken lightly because, Jesus
the Son of God, all will be lifted up and that there is the reward of eternal
life in God’s Kingdom…that this, the hard knocks, the oppression will only be
temporary. I would like to think that all those people sitting and listening to
Jesus are not there waiting to add or interjecting commentary to what he is
saying.
So, now we are at part two of the
blessings. These aren’t blessings though. In fact, Jesus is telling us who and
how those blessings are going to happen. He starts off with an emphatic “you.”
“you are the salt of the earth.” We know what happens if salt loses its flavor
and Jesus is quick to remind us that it is thrown out and trampled “under
foot.” Being salt means that those people sitting there bring their different
experiences and lives to the great gathering. No two experiences are the same
because they aren’t the same. All these experiences shape who they are and how
they respond and so many other aspects of life. My favorite part of this
reading is when Jesus talks about being a light.
“We
are the light of the world,” Jesus says and then utters those words that we
here in baptism and that Jesus is actually commanding “Let your light shine
before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your
father in heaven.” It is here in this part of the Gospel that Jesus reveals
their role and ours in this world. We are to be light. I am sure that we have
all sat in a dark space or had the power go out and sat there in the dark. When
we light a candle, like we do on Christmas eve, this room becomes draped in
light. It is that soft light that can lead the way. It is that soft light shine
and show others around us…proving we are not alone. It is that light that helps
us to sing from our hearts about the birth of Jesus Christ, so that there is no
darkness. I don’t know about you but that is my most favorite time of any
worship…when we welcome Jesus by candlelight.
Being
light also means something else. Being light means that they and we have become
a guiding light. Because of that light, people…those people who hunger and
thirst, the poor and the mourner, the merciful and meek can now find their way
out of those times and places that bring them down. It also means that we are
in that spot, when we are feeling alone, down, trampled on, or just plain
forgotten that we all have a light to focus on to help us out of those times.
What
I am saying is that Jesus is our ultimate light. Jesus is that person we can all
look to for our faith, forgiveness of our sins, and so much. Here, today, Jesus
tells us that we are also light. We are the beacon that can help someone out of
those pits and chains of despair. In basic, clear terms Jesus is telling us, “I
am calling you to be the hands and feet of God…not the mouth!” Jesus is telling
us “help my children!” and I think that is important for all of us to hear!
In
the picture I talked about earlier of giving a choice between the homeless vet
or the refugee, I responded “Can’t we do both?” That was not too well received
by some…and that’s okay; But IF we are salt…and Jesus says we are, then we are
called to different areas of ministry in life to where some of us can help take
care of one of the issues while another group of talented and gifted people
handle the other issue or we work on the together. It means that where there is
hunger, some can feed, those who seek justice, some can offer legal services,
and the list goes on and on. It means that we all have different approaches to
solving problems and issues and maybe (here’s a thought) we work together to
bring peace, to provide justice, to help those who mourn, and lift up the meek.
You
see, brothers and sisters in Christ, the Son of God tells us that we are light
and we are salt. Because of those gifts that God has given us, we can make this
world a better place and hopefully bring the Kingdom of God…as best we can…into
this world until we reach that time when we see Jesus face-to-face.
I
am reminded of what Ronald Reagan once said at the end of his term in office.
"I've spoken of the shining city all my political life,
but I don't know if I ever quite communicated what I saw when I said it. But in
my mind it was a tall, proud city built on rocks stronger than oceans, wind-swept,
God-blessed, and teeming with people of all kinds living in harmony and peace;
a city with free ports that hummed with commerce and creativity. And if there
had to be city walls, the walls had doors and the doors were open to anyone
with the will and the heart to get here. That's how I saw it, and see it
still." - RR
Jesus
calls us to be light and bring God’s light into our world. Called to be the
light always pointing to Christ and to God who created us. Lifting each other
up in God’s name to bring heaven to this place on earth.
And
so, “let your light shine before others that they may see your good works and
glorify your Father in heaven: Amen!
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